FRUSTRATED Barry Robson will leave Teesside clutching two player of the year gongs but having missed out on the big prize he came for - the Premier League.

The tenacious midfielder, who joins Canada-based MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps next month, admits the biggest regret of his stint at the Riverside is failing to reach the top flight with Boro.

After all, that is what he came for.

Box-to-box battler Robson signed for Boro in January 2010 for £1.5m as part of former manager Gordon Strachan’s ill-fated, big-spending project of mainly Scottish recruitment intended to take the club back into the big time.

“I obviously came down here to play in the Premier League and it’s never quite happened,” said Robson.

“It’s frustrating for me when I think about it. To come from a great club like Celtic playing at the highest level up there in Scotland the idea was to come down here with Gordon and win promotion and play at the highest level in England too but it never really worked out like that.”

And Robson, who played his final game in Boro’s 2-1 final-day defeat at Watford, confessed he was left frustrated by a missed opportunity to secure promotion this term.

“The first half of the season we were pushing on to try to go up automatically, but in the end we just fell short,” he said.

“It would have been nice to go out on that high note but it wasn’t to be.

“Our home form let us down overall and we made a lot of mistakes over the course of the season and in that sense we are frustrated that we have fallen short a wee bit.

“I think we had the squad there to go up this season, definitely. I have not seen anything out there in this league that has been miles better than us.

“But injuries and suspensions have taken their toll this season. That’s the frustrating part. I know people say we have not scored enough goals. We know we haven’t. But I don’t think I have been in a team that has missed so many chances. That’s been the frustration for me.”

The determined Scot became a fans’ favourite with his fierce will to win and steady supply of goals from midfield. They included the fastest ever Riverside strike after just 24 seconds against Reading, the opener in the 1-1 FA Cup draw at Sunderland and a last-gasp cracker in the Boxing Day clash with Hull - a goal that was voted the best of the season in the official club poll.

Robson also won the player of the year award to add to his fans gong last week bur regrets not giving the fans the big one in return.

“It was nice for me to get the supporters accolade,” he said. “To have won it twice was nice. It’s humbling and I appreciate it.

“And you know, I wanted to leave the fans with promotion. That’s the disappointment for me. I have given my all this season, I really wanted it to happen, but it wasn’t to be.”

But Robson believes, despite an empty-handed end to the season, the club can have another crack at promotion next term if boss Tony Mowbray is given the cash to replace him and a clutch of other out-of- contract players set to leave.

“The manager will still be here and he will want to try to bring in his own players and so next season can be a good one,” he said.

While his former team-mates prepare for their summer break, there is no let up for Robson who has a busy few weeks lined up before he joins up with Vancouver, who are already six games into their season.

“I will be leaving Middlesbrough in three weeks’ time but before then I will be doing my UEFA A coaching licence,” he explained.

“Then I will have a little holiday with the family and then go straight to Canada - it’s exciting. I will look to stay fit and then hopefully I can help them in to the American Champions League as well.”

“And of course I’ll still look out for Boro’s results. I have really enjoyed it. The fans have been fantastic, the manager, the coaching staff, everyone at the club have been great with me. But it’s time to move on.”